Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

Spurred by personal tragedy, Elaine Pagels turns to a consideration of the Gnostic Gospels, in particular, the Gospel of Thomas. As opposed to the Gospel of John, which asserted that Jesus was an eternally existing aspect of God who came to earth to save humankind, the "secret" Gospel of Thomas agrees that Jesus was in some sense divine, but says that a streak of divinity can be found in all of us.

The Gospel of Thomas: A New Vision of the Message of Jesus

Millions of readers have turned to Elaine Pagels for her clear and insightful books about the Gnostic Gospels, the teachings of Jesus that have been lost for centuries. Sounds True is proud to present the first widely available audio recording of this extraordinary scholar as she explores the text that has changed the way many of us think about the message of Christ: The Gospel of Thomas.

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

Perhaps no figure in biblical scholarship has been the subject of more controversy and debate than Mary Magdalene. Although she is discussed in the gospels of Philip, Thomas, Peter, and Bartholomew in the collection of writings known as the Gnostic gospels that were rejected by the early Christian church, there is no better insight into this mysterious and influential woman than Mary's own gospel.

The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics

Who is Satan in the New Testament, and what is the evil that he represents? In this groundbreaking book, Elaine Pagels, Princeton's distinguished historian of religion, traces the evolution of Satan from its origins in the Hebrew Bible, where Satan is at first merely obstructive, to the New Testament, where Satan becomes the Prince of Darkness, the bitter enemy of God and man, evil incarnate. In The Origin of Satan, Pagels shows that the four Christian gospels tell two very different stories.

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Whether complete or only fragmentary, the 930 extant Dead Sea Scrolls irrevocably altered how we look at and understand the foundations of faith and religious practice. Now you can get a comprehensive introduction to this unique series of archaeological documents, and to scholars' evolving understanding of their authorship and significance, with these 24 lectures. Learn what the scrolls are, what they contain, and how the insights they offered into religious and ancient history came into focus.

Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation

Elaine Pagels explores the surprising history of the most controversial book of the Bible. In the waning days of the Roman Empire, militant Jews in Jerusalem had waged anall-out war against Rome’s occupation of Judea, and their defeat resulted in the desecration of the Great Temple in Jerusalem. In the aftermath of that war, John of Patmos, a Jewish prophet and follower of Jesus, wrote the Book of Revelation, prophesying God’s judgment on the pagan empire that devastated and dominated his people.

The Gospel of Thomas: A New Translation, Commentary and Comparison with the Synoptic Gospels

The Gospel of Thomas is a non-canonical scripture dating back to around 50-100 CE that was found near Nag Hammadi, Egypt in 1945 CE, buried in a clay jar with many other documents, all in Coptic, that collectively came to be known as the Nag Hammadi Library of Gnostic texts. A few fragments of the Gospel of Thomas in Greek had previously been found in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt at various times between 1897 CE and 1905 CE.

Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition

Definitively read by author Richard Smoley, this audio version of Inner Christianity brings a clear understanding to the listener of the complex universe of esoteric knowledge. Topics include esoteric orders past and present, inner traditions, Sophia and Mary, and Gnosticism, as well as well as the mystical body of Christ.

The Book of Enoch: From the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament

Why is The Book of Enoch so important to anyone interested in Biblical history? The answer is simple: It is directly quoted in the New Testament by Jude (vv.14-15). Themes of the book referenced in 2 Peter 2:1. Jesus also used content from The Book of Enoch in many of his sermons in Matthew and Luke. In this text, you will hear the word of God through this amazing document. We will take this amazing journey together and learn why this text is not an official book of the Bible.

The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity

Mary Magdalene is one of the most influential symbols in the history of Christianity - yet, if you look in the Bible, you'll find only a handful of verses that speak of her. How did she become such a compelling saint in the face of such paltry evidence? In her effort to answer that question, Cynthia Bourgeault examines the Bible, church tradition, art, legend, and newly discovered texts to see what's there.

The Lost Gospel: Decoding the Ancient Text That Reveals Jesus' Marriage to Mary the Magdalene

The Lost Gospel takes listeners on an unparalleled historical adventure through a paradigm-shifting manuscript. What the authors eventually discover is astounding: confirmation of Jesus' marriage to Mary the Magdalene; the names of their two children; the towering presence of Mary the Magdalene; a previously unknown plot on Jesus' life, thirteen years prior to the crucifixion; an assassination attempt against Mary the Magdalene and their children.

Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity

Two celebrated scholars illustrate how the newly discovered Gospel of Judas provides a window into understanding how Jesus' followers understood his death, why Judas betrayed Jesus, and why God allowed it. Presented with the elegance, insight, and accessibility that has made Pagels and King the leading voices in this field, this is a book for academics and popular audiences alike.

The Gnosis of the Mind

George Robert Stowe Mead was one of the most prolific and gifted scholars of Gnosticism and Hermeticism of the first half of the 20th century. This book explores gnostic ideas and texts from an entirely sympathetic point of view, which was rare at the time. Editor Jason Augustus Newcomb has rendered the book more comprehensible for modern listeners, as well as added additional notes and commentary.

Poimandres, the Shepherd of Men, a Hermetic Gospel: Corpus Hermeticum, Book 1

The Corpus Hermeticum is a series of short philosophical and religious treatises dating from the beginning of the Common Era. Most of the texts take the form of a dialogue between Hermes Trismegistos and one or more of his disciples. The texts are loosely related but clearly separate tracts seemingly written by many different authors who use the character of Hermes Trismegistos as a prop to express their unique philosophies.

Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to Western Inner Traditions

The co-editors of Gnosis magazine explore the many esoteric traditions that Western culture has to offer. While terms from Eastern spiritual practices such as Zen, mantra, and karma have become part of our daily lexicon, the traditions of Western spirituality have been largely unexplored by people searching for non-mainstream routes to spiritual experience. But for those who identify with Western culture, Western religious traditions have their own wisdom teachings that are more suitable to their needs and expectations.

The Secrets of the Eternal Book: The Meaning of the Stories of the Pentateuch

The Secrets of the Eternal Book decodes some of the Bible's most enigmatic yet oft-cited epochs. The author's lively and easygoing style makes for a smooth entrance into the depths of perception, where one changes one's world simply by contemplation and desire.

The Gnostic Mystery: A Connection Between Ancient and Modern Mysticism

Comparative studies often reveal similarities between greatly different cultures, even if those cultures are geographically separated by thousands of miles or historically distinct by thousands of years. This has been especially true in religion where similar ideas have been propounded by tribes or clans that have on the surface no contact historically or geographically with one another. For the phenomenologist, this kind of transcultural link or synchronicity is important because it raises the question of how religious ideas emerge and develop over time.

Encountering the Wisdom Jesus: Quickening the Kingdom of Heaven Within

The early Christians, teaches the Reverend Cynthia Bourgeault, were afire with the spirit of Jesus, inspired fully by his teaching of a total transformation of consciousness. How do we reclaim that fire today?In Encountering the Wisdom Jesus, this brilliant author and dynamic Episcopalian priest presents her first full-length audio course about rediscovering the Master of Wisdom.

Publisher's Summary

The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging listening for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity. Author and noted scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon. Without a doubt: Gnosticism celebrates God as both Mother and Father, shows a very human Jesus' relationship to Mary Magdalene, suggests the Resurrection is better understood symbolically, and speaks to self-knowledge as the route to union with God.

Pagels argues that Christian orthodoxy grew out of the political considerations of the day, serving to legitimize and consolidate early church leadership. Her contrast of that developing orthodoxy with Gnostic teachings presents an intriguing trajectory on a world faith as it "might have become".

Interesting, enlightening and intense: the listener learns about another side of Jesus, one that encourages his disciples to find the truth within themselves.

The issues before the early church are discussed and you come to understand why the church rejected these gnostic teachings. They felt that Jesus intended to be accessible to more than an educated, elite few. That's hard to argue, but the idea of self-knowledge is also appealing, at least to me.

Dr Pagels refrains from editorializing, which I appreciated. She tells you what the manuscripts say, develops some of the concepts, and leaves it to you to decide what you believe.

This book is so packed with information that I think I would have preferred the printed form, so I could re-review particular passages. I also found the reader's voice to be rough and raspy, unlike Dr Pagel's voice which is smooth and pleasant (as seen on TV).

Overall, very worth the effort, and you'll probably want to listen to it more than once.

There is so much to know about Christ, the origins of the Christian faith, and how it turned out the way it has.
Unfortunately for a great many reasons the contents of these and probably many other texts have been hidden from the world for hundreds of years and its great to have these particular ones set out so well in their greater context.

This book introduces and suggests things that most Christians (or anyone for that matter) would never consider a possibility, enhances many pieces of understanding and severely challenges others.
There's no new religion here, but the one you had is supplied with some interesting additions!

Dr Pagels' extensive subject knowledge of the texts of the Nag Hammadi library as well as other historical, political and religious sources, brings up some key questions and facts, attempts to answer them in light of a far wider body of evidence and leaves the reader wanting to continue the study...
Which is possibly the best thing a book like this can do

Elaine Pagels is a Professor of Religion at Princeton University. She has a Ph.D. in religion from Harvard University. Modern Library calls Pagels’ book, “The Gnostic Gospels” one of the 100 most important books of the twentieth century.

For all religious organizations and particularly the Christian church, “The Gnostic Gospels” shakes the foundations of institutional religion. Like the beginning of a story of adventure and mystery, Pagels recounts the discovery of a fifty-two text collection of papyrus sheets recounting the beginnings of the Christian church.

Frustration remains at the conclusion of “The Gnostic Gospels”, even after reading Pagels’ insightful interpretation, because gnostic documentation is, like every written document of the time, removed from “witnesses to the truth”, i.e. people who lived in Jesus’ time.

However, the Coptic text shows that in the near-beginnings of the Christian religion there were questions about who Jesus was and what he was about; i.e. was he simply a prophet or the Son of God, was he preaching for the creation of a religion or were historical facts manipulated to create a religious hierarchal institution, was Mary Magdalene a conjugal companion or disciple?

Pagels’ interpretation in “The Gnostic Gospels” suggests that Jesus was a prophet; that his life story was manipulated to create a religious hierarchal institution, and that Mary Magdalene was a disciple.

The more fundamental issue in “The Gnostic Gospels” is the idea of the “Kingdom of God” being present within every human being, then and now, and that self-knowledge is the source of admittance to grace. If one believes this teaching, it does not necessarily require abandonment of organized religion but it suggests that church institutions’ only role is to aid personal revelation; not to ritualize admittance to the “Kingdom of God” by christening mankind or bludgeoning all who do not accept a church’s vision of religion.

I enjoyed this book, as the author presented a very clear account of the strives between Christian Orthodoxy and Gnostic Christianity. It is no wonder that this book has stood as an authoritative work on the subject.

I was looking forward to this book, and was disappointed. The author spends more time talking about what is referred to as the catholic church and/or the "Orthodox" Christian church, and "Orthodox" christianity, rather than on what the Gnostic Gospels reveal, the story behind them etc.

What made the experience of listening to The Gnostic Gospels the most enjoyable?

This gives one a different impression of who Jesus really was.

What other book might you compare The Gnostic Gospels to and why?

Beyond Belief, by Elaine Pagels.

Any additional comments?

Elaine Pagels does a very good job at presenting the unknown Jesus. He's more alive, more of a mystic and deeper than the orthodoxy. I've been familiar with her work since I was in university. She's so very thorough in her research and complete in her narrative. I wish we would have gotten some Gnostic scripture from this, but her other books do provide that. I've also independently researched Gnosticism so it wasn't necessary for me to have that contain in her book. I'd recommend it without hesitation.